Young people with disability are more likely to report poor mental health and are twice as likely to have been bullied in the past year than young people without disability, according to data analysis from Mission Australia.

Up to $61 million of supports in today’s announcement will be available to Disability Employment Service providers, as an advance payment of six weeks on service fees to ensure participants can continue to access support during this time.

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Stuart Robert, today announced grants worth a total of $67.8 million to support people with a disability to better connect with their community, gain employment and access health services.

The scale of what we are trying to achieve is just huge. A national scheme across our huge country; aimed at providing individual customised packages of supports to be self-directed by the participant, to half a million of our fellow Australians.

Which sectors donated the most money to political parties last year and what does this mean for social sector advocacy? Neil Pharaoh breaks it down in a new fortnightly column focusing on all things politics, policy, campaigns and advocacy.

The federal government has been urged to show leadership and get more people with disability working in the Australian Public Service, after three state governments recently announced public service disability employment targets.

“I have a son with some learning difficulties, so I’m often on Google searching for the best employment opportunities for him,” says Chris Lombardo, executive officer at The Bridge, a not-for-profit in Preston and Thornbury.